Unclear wait
They don’t know how long they’ll wait.
“About 20 minutes” from a busy host is a guess. Without a clear wait time, many customers decide not to risk it and go elsewhere.
Walk-away calculator
What do walk-aways cost you?
Every customer who shows up but doesn’t get in is money walking away from your door. Put in your own numbers to see what it adds up to in a year.
A busy shift is any rush: breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner or late night. Starting values are conservative examples for the US; change any of them.
Walking away each year
$60,480
Win back just 10% and that's
$6,048 a year
About 50 times the cost of Carbonara at $9.99 a month.
No contract required, so you can try it in your next busy shift.
How this is calculated: busy shifts × groups turned away × group size × spend per guest × weeks. The win-back share is yours to set; we don't promise a number.
What counts as a walk-away.
A customer who shows up wanting to come in and leaves without getting in. Some are turned away because you’re full. Some hear “about 30 minutes” and decide not to wait. Others give up because nobody takes their name. Each one wanted what you offer but wasn’t happy with how the wait was handled, and without a waitlist nobody keeps track of them.
Why customers walk away.
Standing in line
They have to stand in line.
Waiting in a crowd or on the sidewalk is the worst part of going out. Many would happily wait if they could do it somewhere else.
No one to ask
Nobody takes their name.
At the busiest times, the host can’t always stop to take names. With Carbonara, customers add themselves with a QR code, so nobody gets missed.
How Carbonara wins some of them back.
Join
They join the line in seconds.
Guests scan a QR code at the door, or the host adds them, and they’re in.
A clear wait time
They know how long it’ll be.
Every customer gets an estimated wait time and their place in line, based on your own service. Knowing how long it’ll be takes the stress out of waiting, so more people stay. On every plan.
Wait anywhere
They wait where they like.
At the bar, on a walk, at home. A text tells them when their table is ready, and they can reply.
Join ahead
They can join before they arrive.
Call-ahead and Google waitlist let guests join from your Google listing.
From the blog
Why it’s so important to give customers an estimated wait time.
Customers can put up with a wait. What drives them away is not knowing how long it will be. A wait time, even a long one, gives them something to plan around, and makes them far more likely to stay.
Read the articleCustomer story
Busy places that stopped losing the line.
700,000+ guests seated from the waitlist since 2022“Quote from Frenchy’s, from next week’s call.”Frenchy’s Rockaway GrillClearwater Beach, US · Waitlist
Walk-away calculator: questions
Yes. No signup and no email. Your numbers stay in your browser, and in the link if you share it.
It depends on your venue, so we don't promise a number. Start low, try a digital waitlist for a few busy shifts, and see how many more customers you seat.
Walk-aways happen when you're full or the wait is long. In quiet periods there's no line to leave.
No. This is about customers who show up. For reservations that don't turn up, see the no-show calculator.
There's a Free plan for 50 reservations and waitlist groups in any 30 days. Paid plans start at $9.99 a month, with no contract and no per-cover fees.
Win back your next rush.
Start on the Free plan: no credit card, no contract. Set up in less than five minutes.